Strongest Single Father in Arcadia Academy

Into the dark room he went.

The door creaked shut behind Leo. The air was heavy, almost suffocating, and he felt a strange buzz along his skin, like the faint hum of distant magic. But all of that was swept away the moment he saw what lay before him.

Treasure.

The room glowed with the golden light of riches beyond comprehension. Piles of gold coins spilled across the floor, glittering like captured sunlight, complimented and sized up further with blue, red, and white jewelry. A massive chest stood at the center. The lid of the chest was ajar and gemstones spilled out almost like liquid.

Leo's mismatched eyes widened, his heart thudding with excitement. This was exactly what he needed.

'Jackpot,' Leo thought, a rare grin spreading across his face as he took a step forward. He reached for the nearest pile of gold, fingers brushing the cool surface of a coin.

But then he hesitated.

Something didn't feel right. The coin in his hand felt too smooth, too perfect. The air itself felt wrong—too still, too expectant. His instincts, honed by years of training and survival, screamed at him to stop.

This was everything he wished for.

Life was NEVER that easy.

"Never."

Raising a trembling hand, he slapped himself hard across the cheek. The sting snapped his focus back and he channeled his mana, letting it surge through his body like a cleansing tide. "Haaah!"

He charged up. He funnelled all the mana he could. It took a whole minute. His fists balled, he started to bleed. In that moment, the treasure room wavered and shimmered, the golden light distorting like a reflection on rippling water.

And then, with a sound like glass shattering, the illusion broke.

Leo stumbled back, blinking rapidly. The treasure dissolved into nothingness. The room was now bare, save for a massive magic circle etched into the floor. 

But that wasn't what caught his attention.

"This is…?"

Dark purple smoke rose from the center of the circle, writhing and twisting like a living thing. It coalesced slowly, forming the vague outline of a figure. The figure was hazy, almost translucent, with no clear features. It was a woman, that much was clear, but her form flickered like a dying flame, constantly shifting and reshaping itself.

From the purple smoke, a voice.

"Impressive."

The words echoed in the room, disembodied and resonant, carrying an otherworldly weight that made Leo's chest tighten.

"Few mortals can break through one of my illusions, let alone a circle as refined as this."

Leo squinted and blinked. His throat felt dry. This power, this might…

It couldn't be, could it? 

"You…" Leo swallowed and tried again. "You're Hera."

A true goddess. A mother goddess, wife to Zeus himself. 

The womanly voice chuckled softly, the smoke twisting and curling with the sound. "Indeed. Though this is merely a fraction of my being—a corporal form, weak and fleeting. I may not deal in illusions directly, but even this one was far from simple. Tell me, boy, where were you trained?"

Leo's lips parted, but he hesitated. His mind screamed at him to be careful. The last time he had spoken to a god, it did not go well. He forced himself to be unnervingly calm.

"I was trained by a cult of Athena worshippers," Leo said finally.

"Ah, that explains it." The voice of Hera was neither surprised nor impressed, simply matter-of-fact. "Athena's warriors are always resourceful. But tell me, what is it you seek? Surely you have desires. Perhaps you wish to make a deal?"

Leo's fists clenched at his sides. Blood continued to fall in small drips. "No."

The smoke stilled, the flickering figure tilting its head slightly. "No?"

"I admire the gods," Leo said, his mismatched eyes narrowing slightly. "But I fear them equally as much. I'm not interested in deals."

There was a pause. The voice laughed and everything vibrated. "Cautious. Wise. Like Athena. But if you are not here for me, then why have you come?"

His instincts coiled tightly. It was time to be honest. "Why are your worshippers bringing people here? What do you want?"

The indistinct form of Hera seemed to lean forward and cup her cheek. "I bring them into a world of illusions, Athena's child. Their minds are made happy and blissful. In this state, their bodies become… susceptible. Meiyu, my faithful hierophant, pushes their minds to become faithful to me."

Faithful? More like mind-control.

Leo's jaw tightened. "Why?"

Hera chuckled again, but this time it felt colder. "Why? You see—"

The dark purple became a disembodied mess, as did Hera's voice. Whatever she was saying, it was impossible to decipher and began to dissipate. Unraveling like threads pulled loose from fabric.

"I...I can't hear you."

"Oh? I-i-i-is that s-s-so? Time is upppp," Hera said, her voice growing fainter. "The magic circle only allows me to remain here for so long. My apologies, child of Athena. U-u-u-until next time."

The dark purple smoke was gone, taking Hero with it. Leo barely had a moment to process what had just happened before he noticed the others. The seven homeless men who had entered with him stood frozen, their eyes cloudy and their bodies unnaturally still.

Leo cursed under his breath. He realized what was happening—Hera had said it herself. Their bodies were now susceptible, open to control. Whoever spoke first would imprint their authority on them.

'That Meiyu priest weirdo is going to be here soon…!'

What should he do? What could he do?

'Dammit, it's better me than him!' 

Le took center stage and raised his voice. "Hey, listen to me! I'm in charge now! Do you understand? Me, Leo, is your new master." 

The men turned to him slowly, their expressions vacant. Slowly, the clouds in their eyes turned to a concrete emotion: compliance.

"Yes," all of them murmured.

Leo exhaled. "Great. Good. Okay, follow my lead. Don't be stupid about anything—"

He didn't have time to feel relieved. The door behind him creaked open. Leo turned, his body tensing, expecting to see Meiyu stride in. But it wasn't him.

'What the…?'

A woman entered instead. She was tall and striking, with auburn hair tied into a loose braid over one shoulder. Her green robes swept softly across the floor. Her green eyes scanned the room quickly before landing on him.

Leo's heart skipped a beat. He recognized her instantly. She was at the desks. She was the young looking one.

Arcadia Academy's Professor Fellowen Eury. The pretty auburn hair lady. This close, he could see the streaks of aqua blue in her hair and the oceanic blue eyes too. A Witch. Yes, there was no question about it.

'Wait.' 

Wait a minute. A professor of the academy here? He wasn't followed, Leo could confirm. Maybe, just maybe…

He could turn this situation to his favour. 

"Ah, thank goodness! You are all alright!" Within the palms of Professor Eury's hands was an intense steaming ball of water. The Witch released it upon seeing them, smiling widely. "You are alright, yes?"

Leo quickly adjusted his expression, feigning relief. "You came just in time, ma'am!"

The professor's eyes swept over the seven men behind him. "They don't look well. Their water levels are…eerily still."

Leo sent a silent telepathic message. Act, dammit! This hypnosis was set by Hera herself. Not even a Sea Witch or a professor of Arcadia Academy would be able to tell it was inflicted. 

"A-are you with them…?" the thin wiry man asked.

He looked normal, sounded normal too!

'Yes! '

In his head, he celebrated. 

"She looks suspicious..."

Look at them. Totally normal, totally suspicious of the professor. Nice! 

"No!" Professor Eury exclaimed, hands raised. "Goodness no, I am with Arcadia Academy. I am Professor Fellowen Eury. Please, don't be scared, you are safe now."

"Is she trying to trick us?"

"Maybe…"

Good, good. Be suspicious. Be normal. Act like your minds weren't controlled. Homeless and pathetic, they managed to convince the woman that they were not suspicious. Leo himself threw her a suspicious look.

"If you're from the Academy, why are you here?" Leo asked.

"My students were investigating the Cult of Hera-Zen. We, no, I should have acted quicker. For that, I apologize. I do want to ask you one question—what were they trying to do?" Professor Eury took two steps forward. Out of everyone, it was clear the Leo was the most capable. "Please, I have to know. For your sakes." 

"They...they were trying to use us for something. I don't know what. We…" Leo pretended to think. "We entered the room and…it went black. I think…we were seeing illusions."

"Illusions…? Were they broken when the students defeated him?" Professor Eury murmured. "The same symptoms as the followers…were they trying to convert these people?"

'Excellent deduction, professor! Right on the dot! No wonder you were employed!'

Oh, but wait….

'A group of students defeated Meiyu? That priest didn't seem like a slouch to me.' 

After all, he was chosen by Hera. To be selected by a deity was a one in a million opportunity. Throughout his life, Leo could count on two hands the number of individuals blessed by a deity. But to be blessed and to be communicating with them ? That was even rarer. 

'Wait, then that brings up the question…how long was I in here? How long was that illusion? Did time…dilate?' 

Leo discreetly glanced down at the magic circle. It was gone. Nothing left to examine or remember except for what he had in his memory banks. 

To be able to manipulate time in any measure…

Leo had NEVER seen or heard of that before.